Xbox One: Microsoft Confirms 23 Launch Titles – Still No Release Date

Microsoft’s Xbox One will have 23 launch titles available on day one. When that day will come remains to be seen, as Microsoft has yet to announce a release date for its new console. The launch lineup was unveiled at Microsoft’s Gamescom event yesterday, along with the exciting news that FIFA 14 will be free with Xbox One pre orders.

The list of titles includes familiar franchises such as Madden NFL, Battlefield and Call of Duty. Original like Ryse: Son of Rome, Dead Rising 3, and the rebooted Killer Instinct will be in the mix as well. Check out the whole list below:

The Xbox One launches this fall for $499. Microsoft has backtracked on several key features of its new console after they proved unpopular with consumers. In June, Microsoft reversed its DRM and always online policy for the Xbox One after a major internet backlash.

Last week Microsoft’s Marc Whitten confirmed the Kinect motion sensor was no longer required for the console to function. Several critics had raised privacy concerns related to the Kinect’s always on features. Still, Microsoft will not ship an Xbox One package without the Kinect.

Microsoft also drastically changed its policies regarding Indy development and self publishing on the Xbox One. Its newfound policies remove several of the barriers that previously made development on the console difficult for Indies. Its new policies will help make the Xbox One an incubator for Indy games.

The holiday will prove critical to the video game industry, with the Xbox One vying with Sony’s PS4 for dominance of the living room. Nintendo is the dark horse, hoping to parlay success with its 3DS handheld into sales for its struggling Wii U.